No emergency needed on bill before City Council

The number of members of the Jacksonville Human Rights Commission does not call for an immediate vote before the issue can be fully discussed.

That this emergency bill, if passed by a two-thirds vote of the City Council, would catch Parvez Ahmed in its net is a happy coincidence for those few misguided opponents of his appointment.

Ahmed is a Fulbright scholar and a business professor at the University of North Florida. He is a leader in the OneJax interfaith organization and a leader in the city’s Human Rights Commission.

Councilman Matt Schellenberg has filed a bill as an emergency to reduce the number of members of the Human Rights Commission from 20 to 11. Under that bill, no new appointments could be made until the number of members is reduced to the new lower limit.

If there is a legitimate debate over the number of volunteer members on a city board or agency, then it should take place during the regular committee meetings.

Because the Human Rights Commission seeks to represent the community in the broadest sense, a good case can be made for numerous members.

Schellenberg told Times-Union reporter Steve Patterson that his bill was not aimed at any particular members, but he is only seeking to improve the efficiency of boards. Yet, these board positions are volunteer, unpaid ones.

If he wants to make a difference, he should get more involved in the work of the Human Rights Commission. If he does, he surely will gain a renewed appreciation of its important role and of Ahmed in particular.

Did you know? It has been nearly 60 years since the end of World War II,

Yet, reports the New Yorker:

- We have 55,000 troops stationed in Germany.

- We have 35,000 troops in Japan,

- We have 10,000 in Italy.

As the nation makes tough decisions on military spending, we need to have a lively debate on the necessity for so many troops stationed overseas.

Evaluating teachersThe state of Florida is seeking to evaluate teachers by using a combination of factors, including expert observations and student test scores. The state seems to be on the right track.

Accountability is needed, as in any occupation. But we also must admit that there are many factors that go into a successful teaching experience.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has been active in seeking to identify the characteristics of outstanding teachers. As reported in Education Week, it appears the recipe involves student feedback, student growth as reflected in test scores and expert observations.

A $45 million study by the Gates Foundation involved about 3,000 teachers in six districts since 2009. The results showed that relying on just one measure — whether test scores alone or observations — does not accurately predict student success.

We’re getting closer to being able to accurately identify the traits of successful teachers. Accountability — based on credible metrics — is key.

Benefits of immigrationToo much of the debate over immigration has focused on people who came here illegally.

But we ought to be encouraging more immigration from highly skilled people who were educated here.

These immigrants are more likely to start businesses, make inventions and bring a sense of hope and optimism to the public sphere.

Consider that half of the startups in Silicon Valley had an immigrant founder, reported The Wall Street Journal.

It’s shameful that for most of a century, immigration policy was setting quotas based on nationalities, not skills. No country can have more than 7 percent of visas for permanent residency. The vast majority of green cards issued every year are for family members.

There is nothing wrong with that, but the U.S. needs to open its doors for highly skilled people who want to make this land of opportunity a better place.

One estimate from the Congressional Budget Office is that adding more skilled workers will bring in $100 billion over a decade, mostly in increased income taxes.

Giving students a breakEducation is a bright spot in Gov. Rick Scott’s proposed budget. He would increase K-12 funding by $1.2 billion. He also recommended a pay increase for teachers.

And for those college students burdened by debt and a decreasing share of state support, Scott has proposed no tuition increase, as well as recommending that tuition be fixed for all four years of undergraduate education.

Florida TaxWatch highlighted several of its efficiency improvements that the governor has embraced. The most hopeful one is cracking down on Medicaid fraud. Every $1 spent on fraud recovers almost $7 in overpayments.

The state of Florida needs to make fraud a greater priority. First, systems need to be created that prevent fraud from even occurring rather than trying to chase it down. Second, task forces of multiple state agencies need to be waging war against what amounts to organized crime against the citizens of Florida.

Paterno: What mattersThe family of Joe Paterno has released a report that contests many of the conclusions of the Louis Freeh report connected with the child sexual abuse of Jerry Sandusky. Here is what really matters.

Paterno admitted that he wished he had done more when confronted with evidence that his assistant football coach, Sandusky, was abusing a young man in a Penn State shower.

The most powerful man at Penn State had always been highly protective of his program. In this case, he punted.

I thougt Pearl Harbor resolved the issue of American isolation, guess not.
Even in Wikipedia there's disconcerting information about C.A.I.R., so Mr.Ahmed's active membership in it is cause for concern. Being an academic today is more an example of political agility than character reference. The T~U is supportive of Mr. Ahmed because of the publicity,the potential to cow the City Council through manipulation of public opinion, and to re-enforce its Left of Center credentials as a supporter of those unjustly accused while at the same time not having any skin in the game.
Students would really get a break if they could have an alternative to public school education. If parents send their kids to private schools, should they have to pay school taxes ? Why can't private businesses have an option where their school taxes go ? Why the monopoly of education by public institutions ?
Why do those on the Left in their political views always have the annoying habit of using character assassination in responding to those of opposing view ?